Say, “Yes!” to subtitles to improve fluency

Say, “Yes!” to subtitles to improve fluency

Television services offer subtitle options as well as programming in various languages. Watching programs in English and referring to subtitles in your first language to maintain the show’s context or clarify a new word can improve your listening skills and show you how English speakers use gestures to construct meaning.
Watching a program in your native language and then watching it in English will also promote greater fluency. Since you will already have knowledge about the subject, you can compare the different ways speakers of English and speakers of your first language present the same content. Awareness of the differences can reduce the tendency to translate what you hear into your native language to understand. Instead, you will begin thinking in English to understand, and that is a true sign of fluency development.
Whenever you engage in a conversation, watch TV, participate in class, or attend a meeting at work, you are listening. But are you also understanding? In order to make sense of the spoken word, you must develop strong listening skills, and this takes practice and patience.When you first heard English, it probably sounded like a long strand of sounds with some pauses and pitch changes. Learning to recognize the different sounds of the language will help you identify syllables, words, and sentences, and finally general content and ideas.